A direct multi-generational estimate of the human mutation rate from autozygous segments seen in thousands of parentally related individuals

Heterozygous mutations within homozygous sequences descended from a recent common ancestor offer a way to ascertain de novo mutations (DNMs) across multiple generations. Using exome sequences from 3,222 British-Pakistani individuals with high parental relatedness, we estimate a mutation rate of 1. 45 {+/-} 0.05 x 10-8 per base pair per generation in autosomal coding sequence, with a corresponding noncrossover gene conversion rate of 8.75 {+/-} 0.05 x 10-6 per base pair per generation. This is at the lower end of exome mutation rates previously estimated in parent-offspring trios, suggesting that post-zygotic mutations contribute little to the human germline mutation rate. We found frequent recurrence of mutations at polymorphic CpG sites, and an increase in C to T mutations in a 5 CCG 3 [->] 5 CTG 3 context in the Pakistani population compared to Europeans, suggesting that mutational processes have evolved rapidly between human populations.